It’s gotta be the shoes!

In professional sports, there are many environmental variables that can affect an athletes success. Some of these factors are within our control, some of them are not. For example, baseball players carry around their own baseball bats to ensure a certain level of familiarity with their equipment, golfers make sure they have their own set of clubs where ever they go. Could you imagine what it would be like showing up to a sporting event having to use a set of gloves provided by the other team? Debatably, one of the most important environmental variables that is totally within our control is our footwear.

"Wow, look at those shoes!"

As crossfit athletes we are operating in a constantly varied environment, one day we are doing box jumps, followed by a row, then the next day we are running in-between sets of kettlebell swings. All of these activities require modifications in footwear… or do they? Well, that’s what I’d like to discuss in today’s post. Next time you walk into Crossfit Southbay take a look at everyone’s feet. Some people are strapping on their Olympic lifting shoes, while others are lacing up their Asics running shoes. Just what is the right shoe for Crossfit? To be honest there isnt one right answer, but I would like to provide some basic recommendations based on the biomechanics of the ankle/foot complex and current research published on the topic.

Lets take a step back to examine the different elements that take place in our daily WOD’s.  Normally, the workouts start out with some form of Olympic or strength based movement (power clean, squat, deadlift), and progress into some variation of metabolic conditioning (high intensity circuit training). These two elements are not that different in terms of what is need to perform at high capacity. To maximize your results in the Olympic/strength lifts, it has been demonstrated that the firmer the sole of the shoe the better. The reason for this is due to that fact that your ability to efficiently pull/press weight is somewhat limited by your ability to transfer power through your feet into the ground. With out a firm surface for the force generated by the muscles of the leg to be transferred through power output is more likely to be absorbed or lost through inefficient movement. Take a look at this video provided by VS Athletics it shows how lifting in running shoes creates lateral compensation. This compensation causes power to bleed in all different directions rather then straight down into the ground.

weightlifting vs. running

Before you say, “It’s okay I workout in my Chucks!” there is another reason why shoes designed specifically for Olympic lifting are better suited for the Olympic lifts. In addition to having a sole that is more dense, the sole of a weightlifting shoe is also angled. This angle allows weightlifters to maintain a more upright position, this upright position allows the trunk to stay vertical (a more efficient and stable position). Having a raised heal also forces you to push through your heal leading to more glute involvement. In addition, we all have learned that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line right? Well, same goes for your bodies movement under the bar, if you can drop under the bar in a straight line your lifts become faster… this all translates into improved performance.

Tony's DoWinns are on back order...

Now, we all know what to wear for the “A” part of our workout, what about the “B”? To be honest, a lot of the same principals apply. You absolutely want to avoid squishy soled shoes, the harder the better (that’s what she said). As you are reading this thinking, “Wow, this A-hole wants me to run, KB swing and jump in hard soled shoes” I feel compelled to further explain the difference between maximal performance and realistic long term performance. Sure, we can all run around like cavemen (or woman) barefoot getting the most amount of performance out of our WOD’s, but that’s not a realistic nor long term solution to the problem. What if step on glass, then your out of training for a few weeks to let injuries heal?

What we are looking for is a compromise between the old squishy running shoe and your naked foot! Most research has demonstrated that indoor soccer shoes actually provide the greatest balance between power transfer and protective properties.

A few additional suggestions are the , Nike Teimpo, Adidas Samba’s or something compairable. Another great option is the Zoot Ultra TT, Nike LunarLite,  Puma Lift. If you want to take minimalist footware to the next level, there is the crowd pleasing Vibram Five Fingers. Last but not least, this is where the Chuck Taylor’s come back in, a great shoe for Met-Con activities.

Regardless of what shoe you select, please do yourself a favor and get ride of the old running shoes! Not only do the create inefficiencies when worn during Crossfit activities, they also alter your bodies motor recruitment patterns over long term use. Meaning, that your body stops using the muscles in your feet, ankles and lower leg correctly.

So the moral of the storey? To be the best prepared for a day of Crossfitting, a pair of Weightlifting shoes (brand doesn’t matter), and a pair of moderately firm soled “athletic” shoes should both be lugged around the gym bag. Or if you forget yours, just go look in the back of Wes’ trunk I think he has about 14 pair in there.
I guarantee it will be the best money ever spent!

WOD 6/4/2010

A. 3 Rounds
2 minutes of max double unders
3 minute rest

B. 4 Rounds
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
15 Push-ups
15 Goblet squats (1.5pd/1pd)

*The intent of today’s WOD is to go for speed and keep the intensity high. Try to complete all of the sets unbroken and do not sub box step ups for jumps. Chest needs to touch the ground on every single push-up or do not count it. Looking for sub 7 or 8 minute times while maintaining perfect form.